The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, is expressing concerns about the increasing incidents of drug abuse and prostitution among adolescents in the region.
He stated that the situation is alarming and emphasized the need for collaboration among stakeholders to address the issue.
Dr. Amoakohene noted that while street prostitution is a problem, there is a concerning shift toward online activities, with many young girls engaging in hookups.
He made these comments during the 48th Annual General and Scientific Meeting of the West African College of Physicians, Ghana Chapter, held in Kumasi.
He explained that he has noticed various forms of prostitutions in the region which include visible and invisible ones.
He said “the visible ones are those that we see on the streets at night around the Viena city among other areas of town. The invisible ones are the hookups, where they only engage themselves on social media platforms and exchange sex for goods.”
Tinker Island Identified as Major Drug Hub
The Minister also reassured the public that measures are being implemented to effectively tackle the situation on Tinker Island and that efforts will be made to ensure that the victims receive the necessary treatment and are reunited with their families.
“We have a community that has close to 5,000 population, and what they do there is drugs—that is Tinker Island,” he revealed.
“Just recent time, we had support from the Interior Minister to close the Tinker Island, and we realized that close to 500 of them were depending on drugs and needed support for rehabilitation,” he added.
He emphasized that they are still having challenges in relation to rehabilitation and are working diligently to resolve them, ensuring that after treatment, they can be handed over to their families.
